[marktwain]

Exactly. But they thought they could get away with it because the existing law is impreciss. I would place a lot of money that in the last five years, dozens of arrests have been made under the law, and they are mostly invalid.

What usually happens, is after the person arrested is placed in jail for a few days or weeks, (because they do not have money for a bail bondman), or gets bailed out, they cop a plea to avoid trial.

If they can afford and attorney who challenges the charges, the charges may be dropped.

You got a different outcome in this case because of the tragic result and the publicity. Where was this DA in previous knife cases? I guess she is pretty new.

[familyop]

"Exactly. But they thought they could get away with it because the existing law is impreciss. I would place a lot of money that in the last five years, dozens of arrests have been made under the law, and they are mostly invalid.

What usually happens, is after the person arrested is placed in jail for a few days or weeks, (because they do not have money for a bail bondman), or gets bailed out, they cop a plea to avoid trial.

If they can afford and attorney who challenges the charges, the charges may be dropped.

You got a different outcome in this case because of the tragic result and the publicity. Where was this DA in previous knife cases? I guess she is pretty new."

You made good and true points there. And yes, the accusation about switchblades to raise suspicion has become one of several canards.

A switchblade is not a knob-bladed lock blade, though. Tourists in the past bought switchblades from foreign countries like Mexico (been there when some Mexican towns still looked like the Old West, seen switchblade vendors and switchblades).

The common switchblade had a spring in it and flicked open with the push or slide of a button on the side of the handle. They were too fragile to be useful for fighting, IMO (too easily forced to close). Some of the few bad police have been using material from novels or old stories about Mexican gangs to come up with the accusation.

A pair of butterfly knives is much more useful for fighting, as are other kinds of knives originally made for fighting. But none of them should be outlawed for people in the U.S.A. to carry, except for individuals who are too incompetent to walk around by themselves (severely retarded, psychotic, fugitive murderers or the like).